Trapped
by BlueSuedeShoes
Summary: Chloe feels trapped and Oliver doesn't know how to rescue her. "It’s the same thing that’s plagued me all my life: no matter where I go, no matter how far away I get, I always end up feeling trapped, like I can’t wait to get away."
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Comment: Please note that I changed the rating of the story to M for some mild sexual content. Nothing graphic, just wanted to be on the safe side.**

"Look, she won't even open the door for me," Clark said, anxiety etched across his face. "She's been angry at me for ages and now there's nothing I can do for her because she won't even let me inside the apartment, let alone talk to me. Just, _do _something, Oliver."

Clark continued his subconscious plan to pace a hole in the floor of Oliver's apartment and Oliver could only watch in exasperation. "What exactly makes you think I can do anything? She and I aren't exactly thick as thieves."

"She trusts you."

"God only knows why," Oliver looked at the ceiling, muttering under his breath. "What about Lois? She'd be much better suited t--"

"Lois has already tried. She's the one who realized something was wrong in the first place. She said Chloe's just sitting there, practically catatonic. Nobody's seen her leave the building in days and Lois is completely freaked out because we're not even sure if she's eating."

Oliver gulped. What on earth was going on? "Well, I'll do my best, Clark. I mean, I don't know what good it'll do, but of course I'll try."

* * *

 "Chloe?" Oliver called through the door, pretending to sound confident, as though nothing were wrong.

There was no answer.

"Chloe?" he tried again. "Now, Chloe, look, as your friend, I'm asking you to open the door. We both know you're in there," he tried, a hint of pleading in his voice. Nothing. "All right, listen, Chloe. As your boss, I'm demanding to be let in."

Still nothing.

Oliver took a step back, looking at the door, wondering what the best way to handle this was. He was beginning to wonder at Clark for not just beating the door in and forcing Chloe to talk to him. What did Clark expect him to do about this? He had no idea how he was going to be able to help Chloe in the slightest. Why on earth she would want to confide in him to start with was beyond him. Concern, though, kept him determined.

"Chloe, I'm warning you, as Green Arrow, I'm not asking or demanding to be let in. I'm breaking in."

Thirty minutes later he landed on her balcony in full-fledged green leather (because, really, the last thing anyone needed was for Oliver Queen to be seen breaking into Chloe Sullivan's apartment on the twentieth floor). He approached the doorway off her balcony slowly, not sure what to expect. He pulled off the hood and sunglasses and stopped for a moment when he saw her. She was curled up on the couch, just staring out, not really seeing, definitely not seeming to care that the Green Arrow had just resorted to coming swinging onto her balcony. Oliver still felt a bit ridiculous for not being able to think of any other way in. He was going to make a point of rewiring her security system later to include himself.

"Chloe?" Her head turned slightly toward him to acknowledge him, but she did not look at him properly. He felt just plain awkward with the whole situation. "Do you...umm...mind if I sit down?"

"Go ahead," she said. He practically jumped out of his skin when she spoke. He hadn't been expecting it. Her voice sounded different, though. Quiet, weak. He didn't like it.

Dropping his gear in the doorway he walked cautiously toward the couch. He sat down next to her, "leaving room for Jesus," as they used to say at his old private school. He cleared his throat, not sure what to say. "So..." he paused, hoping she would suddenly volunteer what was wrong so he could swoop in and save the day and bring everything back to normal, knowing that wasn't going to happen. "So," he repeated, "I imagine you know why I'm here. You've got Clark and Lois pretty freaked out." He waited for an explanation.

Nothing.

"Right, and honestly, now I'm starting to get worried, too. Any reason you won't let any of us in?"

Chloe was silent at first, but then she said quietly, "Can't talk to Lois. Don't want to talk to Clark. And just now," she raised her eyebrows slightly, "I really didn't want to get the door." She thought, a small furrow forming on her brow, then added, "Sorry."

Oliver looked at her awkwardly. Well, he thought with a sigh, it was probably indicative that she at least didn't mind talking to him. Why he was the chosen one, he had no idea, but now was not the time to question it. "So do you want to tell me what's going on here?"

Chloe shook her head, still not looking at him. "Not really."

"Okay..._will_ you tell me what's going on?" he pressed.

Chloe sighed, turning her head away from him.

"Start at the beginning," he encouraged, moving a fraction closer.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them to her, staring at the floor. "Three days ago, I realized that Jimmy died two years ago."

Oliver felt something grip his heart. He wished he had the slightest idea how to comfort her, but he didn't know where to begin.

"But that wasn't what started this. It was the fact that I realized it three days ago, but the anniversary of his death was a month and a half ago. It--" her voice caught in her throat for a moment. "It passed me by without my so much as blinking at it."

One small tear formed and slid down her cheek. Oliver reached over and brushed it away. "Hey," he said soothingly. "It's okay. Jimmy never would have wanted you to dwell on it or become consumed with grief. He wanted you to be happy and live your life."

Chloe started to legitimately cry at that. "That's just it, though. I'm not happy. I'm not even close to happy. It's the same thing that's plagued me all my life: no matter where I go, no matter how far away I get, I always end up feeling trapped, like I can't wait to get away. But I can't run away this time. I'm needed here." She glanced sadly around her at all the computers that composed Watchtower's headquarters.

"Woah, woah, woah, Chloe," Oliver said, moving over to put his arm around her. She flinched at the contact, causing a pang in his chest. "At no point do I or any of the others want this job to come before your happiness. You can walk away anytime y--"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ollie. I could never leave all of you. And even if I could, where would I go?" she uttered a dry sob and leaned against his chest.

"Hey, it's okay," he soothed. "Maybe you need to take some time off for a while. Or maybe we all just need to make a point of getting you out of this tower a little more often. I know Clark's been on my case lately because he thinks this isn't healthy for you," he admitted, a little ashamed that he hadn't heeded the warning.

Chloe brushed it off. "Clark doesn't know anything," she said with a hint of disdain in her tone.

"Can you tell me why you didn't want to talk to Lois?"

Chloe stared off for a moment, not sure of the answer herself. "I'm not sure there's a good reason. But I guess I already knew everything she'd say and none of it would be any help. She never really liked Jimmy to begin with. And as for my feeling trapped, she'd just end up blaming you, which would make me angry and not make any progress toward actually making me feel better."

Oliver looked down. He already knew why she wouldn't talk to Clark. That was obvious. They'd been on the outs for a while. He couldn't help it. He _had_ to press his luck and ask. "Any reason you feel comfortable talking to me about this?"

Chloe looked at him for the first time since he'd arrived, still hugging her knees to her. "I don't know," she said. "I don't have any reason not to talk to you, I guess. Maybe it's the leather," she joked weakly.

"Yeah, well, this wouldn't have been necessary if you would have opened the door," he said pointedly, trying to make her laugh. "Next point of concern, though, Sidekick: Lois is scared you haven't been eating."

Chloe scoffed. "Typical of her to blow it out of proportion like that. I promise I've eaten, Oliver. Not a lot, mind. But I haven't been that hungry, honestly

Oliver stroked her hair thoughtfully for a bit, still holding her to his chest. She felt so fragile in his arms, he didn't want to let her go but was afraid of crushing her at the same time. "Why don't I make you some dinner?" he suggested, giving her a squeeze, trying to cheer her up. He couldn't help but notice that the light seemed to have gone out of her eyes.

Chloe looked at him skeptically. "Are you telling me you can cook?"

Oliver mocked being affronted. "I will have you know that I make the world's greatest spaghetti and meatballs."

Chloe giggled and Oliver nearly let out a huge sigh, the sound was such a relief to hear. "Sidekick, do you have any idea what you've done to your friends the last couple of days? Lois was beside herself."

Chloe nodded, a little ashamed of allowing herself to sink so deep into depression.

"I guess I really can't talk, though," Oliver said thoughtfully. "At least you didn't run out and drown your sorrows in sex and alcohol."

Chloe gave him a hard look. "In the past, Ollie," she said flatly, indicating that there was no need to discuss it. "That's not you, anymore."

"And this isn't you, Chloe," he said, running a hand over her cheek. Then he stood, heading over to her kitchen to start making them dinner. He was relieved to see her fridge and cupboards were relatively well-stocked with groceries. "I've never known you to just shut down like this." He pulled out ingredients, not looking at her. It was heart-breaking to look at her when she was like this. "From what I can tell, no one has. We both know this isn't the way to handle things." He glanced at her quickly, but she hadn't moved from the couch. So he didn't press the matter for the moment. Things would be easier when she had some hot food in her. "Why don't you come over here and help me with this?" he suggested after a while, having put the ground beef and seasonings in a bowl to stir together.

Chloe stood and walked over, but didn't join him right away. He looked up and realized she was watching him from across the island, a small smile gracing her features. "What?" he asked, grinning.

"This," she gestured at him and the spaghetti-in-progress. "The Green Arrow, making me dinner."

He snorted. "I'd much rather be Oliver Queen, making you dinner, honestly. I feel ridiculous in this outfit right now. Completely inappropriate for the situation."

Chloe didn't say anything, but the small smile didn't fade.

"Just come over here and help me roll the meatballs or stir the sauce or something."

She walked around and washed her hands slowly. Then she pushed up her sleeves and silently reached in the bowl to pull out a lump of ground meat. Her hand brushed against his and his heart stopped for a second. Odd. He watched as she wordlessly rolled the meat into a ball and placed it on wax paper. Then he turned around to stir the sauce, making sure it wasn't sticking to the pot.

Moments later he was spoon-feeding her a sample of sauce with a smug grin on his face. "Careful, it's hot."

She blew on the wooden spoon, cooling the sauce and he was suddenly seized with a mad desire to kiss her puckered lips. _Woah, there, Ollie. This is Chloe we're talking about._ She tasted the sauce and failed to suppress a grin.

"Well?" he demanded.

"By far the best spaghetti sauce I've ever tasted," she conceded. She'd loosened up quite a bit in the last few minutes. It was good to see. It bothered Oliver on a very deep level to see her in the state she'd been when he first arrived. This was much better. When she was like this, they could figure something out, try to put her life back together.

They ended up back on the couch with their dinner, Chloe having finally revealed that she kept a spare change of clothes for all members of the JL at Watchtower "just in case." Oliver felt much more at ease in a pair of his own jeans and a T-shirt and hoodie. He felt less defensive. The Green Arrow suit was great, and it definitely served it's purpose, but he felt like a different person when he wore it, less human, even. Now he felt like Ollie again, like someone who could actually be Chloe's friend and help her.

He looked over at Chloe. She was sitting with her legs tucked up underneath her, eating slowly but steadily. It struck him how adorable she looked at the moment without any make up and her hair just a little wavy, unstyled. He tucked a strand behind her ear and her fork paused midair as she glanced at him, an eyebrow raised. When he didn't say anything, she chose to ignore it, but set her plate down on the glass coffee table.

"Finished?" he asked. She nodded. He took her plate and his long-since-empty one over to the sink. He would wash them later.

He sat back down on the couch beside her, studying her for a moment. He wondered in frustration how on earth he was supposed to help her. Then something caught his eye. A long silver chain laid against her throat, vanishing below her top so that it was mostly hidden from sight. He leaned forward curiously. "What's this?" he asked, reaching out to move the chain before she realized what he was doing. He tugged the chain gently, pulling it away from concealment, and a small, delicate charm was revealed. It was a tiny silver arrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe blushed. "I saw it in a jewelry store a little while ago and couldn't help myself." She pushed herself off the couch and went over to wash the dishes.

Oliver was rooted to the spot. Several things had become clear to him all at once. Chloe trusted him. Probably more than she should. She was also very possibly and very probably in love with him. Her blush had made that more than clear. God help her. But most importantly, he had realized in the flash of an instant what he should have known all along: he was very much in love with Chloe Sullivan, and he had been for a very long time. It had come on so gradually that he hadn't really noticed it happening.

He studied her back as she scrubbed determinedly at the dishes before shaking himself. He wasn't sure why he hadn't seen it before, really. It was probably the stupidest thing that could have happened to either of them. Chloe deserved so much better than a guy like him, and he could never begin to live up to a girl like her. Yet as he watched her, he realized it didn't matter anymore. They were both in way beyond just over their heads, and honestly the more he thought about it, the more he became convinced that it was her. It had always been her. He'd been too thick to see it, of course, but the time had ceased to exist ages ago when he could even begin to imagine his life without her.

She had saved him once, and this, this might be the one way he could save her. Without really thinking it through, he stood up and strode purposefully over to her. He pulled her away from the dishes and slowly removed the rubber gloves from her hands, one at a time.

She watched him silently, almost afraid in her uncertainty. He had an all too serious look on his face, his eyes not leaving hers. He tossed the gloves into the sink and she bit her lip nervously.

"Ollie?"

He didn't answer, but ran the back of his fingers gently across her cheek. She closed her eyes involuntarily. His hand trailed around to settle in her hair and the other one went to her waist. "Open your eyes," he said quietly. She did so. "Anything you'd like to tell me?" he raised an eyebrow, almost expectantly.

She swallowed tightly, not sure what was going on. This was far from typical behavior from the Ollie she was so accustomed to.

"Right," he said, with a hint of frustration. "Let's give this a try, shall we?" He leaned down incautiously and pressed his lips firmly against hers.

It felt like an instantaneous chemical reaction. The moment their lips touched they both realized they'd been building up to that very moment for ages without ever realizing it. Oliver's grip on Chloe's waist became more firm and he pulled her closer to him. His other hand tightened in her hair, but Chloe was far from minding. She pressed herself against him unthinkingly.

The kiss escalated quickly, Oliver tilting her head back until her lips parted to grant him access, Chloe encouraging him with a moan that bordered on a wistful sigh.

And suddenly it was more than just a kiss as his hands moved to her back, pulling her to him until there wasn't an molecule of air between them. Chloe's hands ran up his chest and linked around his neck. Without warning he lifted her entire body and had her sitting on the counter, standing between her parted thighs.

"Oliver," she whispered into his mouth with a hint of longing, and it was the sound of his name that snapped him back to earth. He forced himself to push away, fighting to ignore the whimpering sound that escaped her at the loss.

"Too fast. We're moving way to fast here," he said, breathing heavily, cursing himself with every word. "Don't want to screw this up," he panted.

"Ollie," she replied, reaching out and pulling him back to her. "I think the problem is that we've been moving way too slowly for way too long." With that remark her lips were on his again and all thoughts of self-control were lost. She wrapped her legs around him and Oliver groaned.

"Are you sure?" he forced himself to ask, not even sure if he could stop at that point regardless.

She was sure. She had no idea what had come over her. All she knew was that she wanted him, that she had wanted him for a long time. She needed him to hold her, touch her, take her. Somewhere along the way Oliver had become the most important person in her life without her even noticing.

Oliver knew they shouldn't do it this way, that there should be some slow, romantic, drawn out approach to this situation. There were supposed to be dates, holding hands, first kisses, a whole plethora of romantic comedy plots before they took it this far. But he couldn't make himself care, and Chloe clearly didn't, either. They both knew that all of those things would come; this was no one-night stand. It was the beginning of something. Right now, she needed comfort and he just needed her.

Chloe hadn't spent a lot of time imagining making love with Oliver. It wasn't to say she hadn't been aware of him sexually, but she definitely never sat around fantasizing about him. Somehow, though, there had been certain expectations, Oliver being who he was. It was safe to say she hadn't been expecting it to be so much...about _her_. Oliver treated her with reverence, as though he were worshipping her body. Every touch was impossibly gentle, impossibly soft. She wondered whether he weren't afraid he was going to break her somehow. Never in her life had anyone made her feel so precious and valued and _loved_. It was beautiful.

No, she hadn't thought about what it would be like to sleep with him. She hadn't known she was in love with him, either, but when he first kissed her it was like the knowledge had always been there, waiting for them to acknowledge it.

* * *

Well into the night Oliver found himself in a place he had never expected to be. Lying in Chloe's bed, staring at the stars outside her window as she lay in his arms. Her face on his chest, he could feel her breathing, steadied with exhaustion and finally sleep. He couldn't stifle a smile at the feel of her arm wrapped across him, holding herself to him. His grip around her tightened, and he pulled the covers up over them slightly, grinning as she unconsciously snuggled into them. He'd never seen anything more beautiful than Chloe in that moment, and part of him didn't want to fall asleep, only wanted to watch her for the rest of his life, but sleep eventually claimed him. It was a peaceful sleep, one of knowing that whatever went wrong, whatever _was _wrong, they could face it together. He would find a way to help her. They would talk things over properly in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Comments: Okay, I was planning on making this the last chapter, but then I had some brief inspiration to see what will happen when Clark, Lois, and the JL find out. Maybe. Send me a review if you think I should add one more chapter, please!**

Waking up in Oliver Queen's arms was possibly the most terrifying thing to ever happen to Chloe--wonderful, yes, but terrifying--and that was saying something. She remained as still as possible, keeping her eyes closed and reorienting herself with the world around her. She was clinging to Oliver's chest and she could almost feel his heartbeat against her cheek. His muscular arms were wrapped firmly around her, granting her no opportunity to sneak out of bed, get clothes, say...or at least some coffee. She wasn't sure how they were going to handle this, though she supposed it was at least a good sign that he had stayed through the night.

Oliver shifted slightly. "I see you're awake," he said frankly. She started. She hadn't realized that he wasn't still sleeping. He jostled her slightly. "Of your many talents, faking sleep is not one of them," he said, and she could hear the grin in his voice. She couldn't help but smile herself.

"I'll have to work on that," she said at last. She looked up at him slowly. All she saw in his face was amusement, no hint of remorse or awkwardness. All right, then, maybe she could do this.

He gave her that award winning smile of his and she melted. "Good morning," he said and kissed the top of her head.

"Mmmm," was all she said, snuggling back under the covers a little further, pulling them over her head.

He laughed. "Funny, I had you pegged as more of the early riser type."

"Normally, yes," she said from under the sheets, "but I haven't been sleeping well lately and that was by far the best night's sleep I've had for a good while." A frown flickered across his face, but she missed it, snuggling against him.

He shook her gently, playfully. "No going back to sleep. It's late. We should...I don't know...do something. Breakfast?"

"No."

"Coffee?"

"Mmmmm." Her head poked back out from the covers again, ever so slightly.

He laughed. "I guess I should have expected that." He moved to get up, but she held on tight, not allowing it. "Sidekick," he chuckled. "I can't get coffee if you don't let me go."

"Coffee later."

"I don't think I've ever heard you postpone coffee for anything."

She only smiled.

"I'm still not letting you go back to sleep. If we're not getting up then we still need to talk."

"That's what people say when they're breaking up. We're not together."

Oliver swallowed. "Right, well then, let's make that the first point of conversation." Chloe blushed heavily, realizing what she'd said. Oliver thought about telling her he loved her, but somehow it didn't feel right in that moment. They'd already rushed so much. He wanted to take things slowly with her from there on out. He would tell her he loved her in the perfect moment, not when she was falling apart like she had been last night.

"Not yet," was all Chloe said. She wanted to talk about what it was they were doing, why she was lying nude in his arms, for instance, but she was scared and wasn't sure she could handle it if he had only been trying to comfort her. So for the moment she just wanted to put it off. "What's the second line of business?"

"Okay. Well, we can get back to what we were talking about last night. Like what we need to do to help you feel better about yourself and your life, maybe." His voice was very serious, and she knew he wasn't going to let her sidestep this conversation like he had with the first.

"I was thinking about that," she said.

"And?"

"I need to go somewhere for a little while. Even if I'm just checking myself into a hotel for a couple of nights, I need to get out of this building and away from..._myself. _ I've been getting in too deep with Watchtower."

"I could have told you that one."

Chloe smiled at the hint of sarcasm, if it _was_ a weak smile. "I know. I don't know how I let it happen. I don't even see much of Lois anymore. I don't have any friends outside of the JL, and no offense, but you guys are a pretty far stretch from the normal definition of friends."

Oliver winced but said nothing. It was hardly untrue. The team only came together if there was a crisis. Otherwise they barely communicated with each other...something that needed to change, he reminded himself, a small crease forming in his brow. "Chloe, honestly, what was really going on with you these last couple of days? Because we're not really talking about you freaking out or having an early life crisis or something like that. You literally shut down, and all I know is what kick-started it."

Chloe stayed silent a long while, sorting through the words in her head, sinking back into that feeling of misery as she did. "Let me put it this way," she began, and his arms flexed protectively around her as he heard the pain in her voice, "Most people have the luxury of being afraid of being alone." She swallowed, steadying herself. She wasn't going to cry again, so help her. "I don't get that luxury. I have to deal with being alone on a daily basis. It's become part of my life and I've just had to face it head on every day for over two years now." She repressed a sob and ended up hiccuping instead. "It caught up with me."

Oliver touched her chin with his thumb and tilted her head up to look at him. "Let's get something straight: You are not alone. You've got Lois and Clark and me. We're going to be there for you regardless of what happens. And even if they aren't the kind of people you're going to call up to go shopping with, that goes for Bart, Victor, AC, and Dinah, too. You can come to us with anything. We all care about you, even if we suck at showing it."

Chloe's eyes burned with a few small tears that she blinked back.

Oliver took a deep breath, "Which brings us full circle, by the way. I think we should talk about it, Chloe. If we don't now, we'll just keep putting it off and we'll never be able to look each other in the eye properly."

Chloe nodded, tucking her head back down, almost demonstrating his point. "What do you want to happen?" she said in a small voice. She couldn't help it; she held her breath.

He wanted to ask her the same thing, but he stopped himself, realizing that she'd made herself more than vulnerable for the past eighteen hours. It was his turn by far. He closed his eyes, bracing himself. He was fairly certain she returned his feelings, but that still didn't mean she wanted the same things he did. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to begin with, but it came down to one thing: "You. In whatever way you're willing to be mine."

This time the tears actually escaped. He had no idea what that meant. Then she started to legitimately cry and Oliver got concerned. He sat up a little further in the bed and cradled her to him. "Hey, hey," he shushed her, rocking her gently. "Hey, it's okay. We don't have to push anything. It's whatever you want," he choked on the words slightly.

Chloe smiled through the tears. She kept trying to tell him she wanted him, too, to force the words out, but they wouldn't come, so she gave up and turned towards him. He looked completely baffled, which made her give a giggle that mixed with a sob. Then, leaning forward, she kissed him with everything she had.

Oliver more than got the message. His hands went to her face and held her to him as he kissed her back repeatedly. "Have I--" he asked, punctuating his words with kisses, "mentioned--that I love--the necklace--you're wearing?" He pulled on her bottom lip with his teeth

Chloe laughed as he flipped her over and began kissing her in earnest, his fingers trailing over the delicate silver chain still around her neck. "I like it, too. It's funny, I didn't realize why until last night."

"Oh?" he said, biting her ear, euphoric.

"Mmhmm," she said, closing her eyes. "I think the exact moment was when you were rolling meatballs in my kitchen while wearing that green leather of yours." Her eyes rolled back slightly and she groaned when he rolled his hips against her.

"Remind me to make that an evening ritual for us." She felt his lips grinning against her neck.

"Hmm," she said, "I had a few other things in mind for evening rituals." She grinned, flipping him over to straddle his thighs and demonstrate her meaning.

It had been so long, too long, since she had felt loved, cared about, wanted. And yet he was there, offering her all of that, banishing the loneliness that had been plaguing her for so long. She realized with a beaming smile that went straight to his heart that she didn't feel trapped anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Comment: All right, I got sucked in to my own imagination. I'm going to do one last chapter and then put this fic to bed.**

**By the way, after I'd written the outline for this, I got a review requesting someone yell at Clark. I am happy to say I had already worked that in because I agree, Clark totally abuses Chloe. Enjoy!**

"No, absolutely not."

"Clark, you don't exactly get a say in this," Chloe said, worn out from twenty minutes of trying to persuade him that her dating Oliver was not the end of the world.

Chloe had tackled Lois on her own, which had gone much better than anticipated. A shocked look had flashed across her cousin's face at the news that Chloe was dating her cousin. She had been silent for a couple of minutes, and Chloe could tell she was trying to determine whether she was upset about this or not. Finally Lois had accepted that while she did have a right to be angry if she so chose, she just wasn't. She and Oliver were ancient history, and she had Clark. She still cared about Oliver and more than anything she wanted Chloe to be happy, so if they made each other happy, that was that.

Of course, this chick flick moment was swiftly followed by some crude jokes about Oliver that eventually sifted into broad hints about Oliver having a fetish for leather, to which Chloe could only roll her eyes and occasionally blush. Oh, Lois.

Oliver had taken on the JL, which he determined was easier than having Chloe with him. He simply let it drop in the midst of conversation, telling Bart to quit referring to his girlfriend as "Chloelicious." Chloe had smiled when he related that story, wishing she could have seen the expression on the boys' faces. Oliver wouldn't tell her much about it, though. He had simply said that what happens in guy world stays in guy world. This made Chloe a bit suspicious, but she also knew and trusted her boys enough to know they weren't talking about her like she was a whore or anything, so she let it go.

In reality Bart had nearly choked on his taco when Oliver dropped the bomb. Victor was so surprised that he lost to AC in the video game they were playing, something that simply never happened. Victor was the video game champ, although Bart and AC suspected that he had some sort of hidden advantage, being a Cyborg. They just hadn't been able to prove it, yet.

Bart had demanded to know whether Oliver had already slept with his precious "mamacita," to which Oliver refused to respond, but his red ears gave him away. Victor and AC had high-fived each other, AC mentioning to Bart, "I _told_ you there was something going on there."

In the end, they all pretty much approved the choice. They adored Chloe, and they didn't want her dating "outsiders" who "couldn't be trusted with someone like Watchtower."

" 'Course," Victor said, looking at Oliver sternly, "You do know we'll be forced to hang you if you upset her, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Oliver had said, plopping down on a chair and thanking his lucky stars that this had gone so well.

And yet, Clark remained adamant.

Oliver was struggling more and more to keep his temper under control, Chloe noticed. She ran a soothing hand over his arm. "Down, boy," she whispered, smiling. She'd expected this. Clark was more than a little over-protective, and he had never exactly been on the best of terms with Oliver.

She let Clark finish his rant about all the reasons Oliver was unsuited to date her, and Chloe watched him patiently, listening with only one ear. In the back of her mind she was counting down the minutes until she had Oliver alone again.

Clark paused for breath and Chloe seized her opportunity. "Is that all?" she asked, as though Clark's points had been nit-picky and bore no weight whatsoever. In truth, he made some valid points, it was just that they honestly didn't matter to her. She knew Oliver's past, and she knew that things between her and him were going to be something entirely different. Maybe it wouldn't be better. Maybe it wouldn't work. But they were damn sure going to give it a shot.

"No that's not all!" Clark said angrily.

Oliver let out a seething breath and took a menacing step forward before Chloe could stop him.

"All right, Boy Scout, let's get something straight. We came here to tell you, not to ask your permission. You don't get a say in who Chloe dates and you definitely don't get a say in who I date."

"Oliver, I know how you are with women, and Chloe is not--"

"Chloe is not 'women,' Clark. She is _the_ woman. Now regardless of the fact that you have no say in who I date I would like to point out that that has not stopped you before. You made it very clear that you thought it was a bad idea for me to date Lois when I did, pointing out that people in our racket just can't do the romance thing, and yet here you are, dating her yourself, doing exactly what I was doing. Now, I've never really thought of you as a hypocrite before this moment, because I know at the time you honestly believed the bile you were spewing, but I swear, Clark, Chloe cares what you think and if you don't grit your teeth and at least _pretend_ to be okay with it, Lois is going to be a lot more enlightened about certain vigilantes in the city of Metropolis."

Chloe was wide-eyed, wondering whether or not there was going to be some sort of nuclear explosion. Clark had turned very red in the face and she had the panicky feeling there were a bomb in the room.

Chloe blinked and Oliver was being held off the ground by the scruff of his shirt.

"Clark! Put him down!" Chloe said in alarm.

"Let's get something straight, Arrow," Clark said, jaw clenched, "I find out that you've hurt her in any way--"

"You'll burn her name onto my face with your heat vision," Oliver finished with a roll of his eyes, "I get it."

"Oh I'll do a lot worse than that, Oliver."

Oliver closed his eyes to reign in his temper. "Clark, the last thing I have any intention of doing is hurting Chloe. In fact I give you permission to murder me if I do. I doubt I'd be able to live with myself anyway," he said very seriously, looking Clark in the eyes.

Clark set him back down. "Good."

* * *

And then she and Oliver were back at his place. Chloe was laughing, tears of mirth streaming down her face. "I think that went especially well, don't you?"

"Do me a favor and keep him and his heat vision away from me," Oliver said shaking his head. "_Far_ away," he emphasized.

"Gladly," Chloe smiled, moving closer to him. "You don't think I'd actually want him _around_ all the time do you? I'm a lot more selfish than that." She ran a hand over his lapel, tugging him a little closer.

"Interesting," Oliver said with a smile. He kissed her warmly. Then, with a concerned look on his face, he pulled away for a moment. "You know, I'm not entirely sure we actually solved anything here."

Chloe looked down, a small smile playing with her lips as she fingered his tie. "Oh?"

"Well, I mean how is this any different from where you were when I found you last week? In the end, aren't you more 'trapped' than ever now?"

"Ollie, the city was never a cage; it just started to feel like one. I had nothing to make me _want_ to stay here, only things that _made_ me stay here. Now," she paused, sorting out her explanation. "Well, now I have a reason to want to be here. Or at least I want to be where you are, which happens to be here."

"For the moment," he grinned. "I still think you should take a short vacation like you were talking about."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, and I happen to know this little cafe that has fantastic coffee. I was thinking maybe I'd take you there."

Chloe smiled. "Yeah? Where is it?"

"Marseille, France."

Chloe rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"Already you're trying to show off."

"So that's a no?"

She pulled him down to her by his tie. "Did I say that?"

He resisted kissing her for another second. "No, but you said--"

"I _said_ you were showing off. I didn't say I wanted you to stop," she smiled, leaning into him.

* * *

**Author's Comment: Well that's that. I'm officially ending it on that cheerful note. I'm also suddenly craving coffee....**

**Anyway, thanks for reviews and encouragement! I'm glad this was so well received.**

**~B.S.S.**


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